Toy poodle Stanley (right) was recently snatched by a coyote in the backyard of Jim and Toni Tesen's Northville Township home. Their other dog, Shadow, was outside at the same time.(Photo: submitted photo)

Having seen coyotes in their Northville Township yard, Toni and Jim Tesen took precautions with their pets; they didn't let their two small dogs outside unattended.

One recent night, however, Toni Tesen was outside with the dogs — an outside light was on — when the couple's toy poodle, Stanley, was grabbed by a coyote. Stanley had noticed some movement in the yard and ran to it.

"It was traumatic, but it could have been worse. It was in a dark part of the yard. There was no sound from Stanley. I chased, but there was no way I could catch a coyote," Toni Tesen said. "There was no sound from Stanley when he was carried off. It would have been terrible to witness Stanley suffering."

As her dog was being carried off, Toni Tesen said she could see the back end of the coyote with its big fuzzy tail. Jim Tesen was inside the house when Stanley was snatched.

"My wife and I have been married 51 years and I never heard screams like that from her," Jim Tesen said. "Our houses are by a field. There are lots of critters constantly in the yard. (Stanley) spotted something — a poodle's nature is to chase and hunt.(Stanley) darted out. He had seen the coyote. It grabbed him and ran into the field."

The couple had gotten Stanley, 11, a rescue dog, seven years ago. Jim Tesen said Stanley liked to chase all kinds of animals that came into their yard: squirrels, rabbits, opossums and even skunks.

"He was still as spunky as a pup. Boy, do we miss him," Toni Tesen said.

The Tesens live in the Reserve of Northville Ridge, a site condominium development located in an area between Five Mile and Six Mile, between Ridge and Napier. Their home faces west, where there is heavily wooded land with wetlands. Fences aren't allowed in the development.

"People really need to be aware and take the warnings about coyotes seriously. Don't think 'it can't happen to us,'" Jim Tesen said, adding he and his wife thought they were taking adequate protections. "The way Toni and I feel, we blame ourselves."

Going forward, the Tesens plan to keep their dogs on a leash when they are in the yard. Toni Tessen said she'd like to see a change to allow fences in their development.

Hoping they would post a report and alert people about coyotes, Jim Tesen said he called Northville Township Police about Stanley being snatched.

"The lady at dispatch was so kind taking the information. The police officer offered to walk out in the field looking for Stanley. I was very impressed," Jim Tesen said.

A few times each year, Northville Township police get a report about a coyote, Northville Police Lt. Mike Burrough said, but coyotes are typically afraid of people.

"It usually means they have found a food source, like small rodents. Or (people) are leaving out food for stray cats or that sort of thing," Burrough said. "Everyone is sympathetic when something like this happens — it's horrible. (The Tesens) were doing everything right. They were outside with their animals."

Contact LeAnne Rogers at lrogers@hometownlife.com or 734-883-9039. Follow her on Twitter: @LRogersObserver.